Drain tray



A. P. MOLINA Aug. 16, 1955 DRAIN TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19, 1953 United States Patent 0 DRAIN TRAY Alfonso P. Molina, Tampa, Fla., assignor of one-half to Robert Pulido, Tampa, Fla.

Application June 19, 1953, Serial No. 362,747

4 Claims. (Cl. 34-238) This invention relates to a novel drainage device or unit for draining items such as glassware and cups after washing and which eliminates the need for utilizing the unsanitary practice of drying such items manually with a dish towel.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a drain tray and catch tray unit for supporting a plurality of items of glassware and other items such as drinking cups while the liquid drains therefrom after washing and which is so constructed that the liquid will drain from the drain tray on which the items are supported into a catch tray or receptacle disposed therebeneath.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unit wherein the trays may be effectively maintained in spaced apart relationship one above the other and readily detached from one another when not in use or for the purpose of cleaning.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a drainage tray which is so constructed that the rims of glassware and cups when supported thereon in an inverted position will be supported with portions thereof out of contact with the tray for admitting air to the interior of such items to effect a more rapid drying thereof.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the assembled drain tray unit;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view thereof looking from either the right or left hand end of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the drain tray unit in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includes an upper drain tray, designated generally 6, and a lower catch tray or receptacle, designated generally 7.

The upper drain tray 6 includes a bottom 8, corresponding upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls 9 and corresponding upwardly and outwardly inclined end walls 10. The walls 9 and 10 are integrally joined at the corners 11 of the tray 6. The upper edges of the walls 9 and 10, between the corners 11, are rolled outwardly and back upon themselves to provide rolled rims 12. The bottom 8 is provided with a multiplicity of relatively large drainage openings 13 which are preferably equally spaced relatively to one another and each of which constitutes the center portion of a dished part of the tray bottom 8 so that each opening 13 is surrounded by an annular downwardly inclined portion 14, which portions 14 are inclined downwardly toward the openings 13. Between the dished portions 14, the tray bottom 8 is provided with upstanding bosses or protuberances 15.

The upper drainage tray 6 is supported by a pair of corresponding leg members 16 each of which is formed from an elongated strip of a relatively wide substantially 2,715,284 Fatented Aug. 16, 1955 rigid material such as sheet metal. Each strip includes an upper portion 17 which extends from end-to-end thereof. The portions 17 are disposed against the outer sides of the end walls 10 and may be permanently secured thereto in any suitable manner as by spot welding, as indicated at 18. Each of the strips 16 includes a downwardly and outwardly inclined portion 19 which extends downwardly and outwardly from the bottom edge of the portion 17. The lower ends of the portions 19 are spaced apart a distance greater than the spacing between the rim portions 12 of the end Walls 10. Each of the strips 16 includes a downwardly and inwardly extending portion 20, which portions extend downwardly and inwardly from the lower edges of the portions 19 and said portions 20 terminate at their bottom edges in inwardly extending foot portions 21 constituting the opposite longitudinal edges of the strips 16. The foot portions 21 are disposed substantially parallel to the bottom 8 of the tray 6, substantially therebeneath, and are located below the ends of the tray 6.

The catch tray or receptacle 7 is preferably of the same length and width as the tray 6 and includes a substantially flat bottom 22, preferably having the same dimensions as the bottom 8, and upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls 23 and end walls 24, which preferably correspond to the side walls 9 and end walls 10 of the tray 6. Said side walls 23 and end walls 24 merge integrally at the corners of the tray 7 and are provided with upper edges which are turned or rolled outwardly and back upon themselves to provide rolled headings 25, corresponding to the headings 12. The catch tray or receptacle 7 differs from the drainage tray 6 in that the bottom 22 of the tray 7 is solid throughout and preferably includes no depressions or bosses and is preferably flat. The end portions of the tray bottom 22 are adapted to rest on the upper surfaces of the foot portions 21 to position the catch tray 7 directly below the drainage tray 6. Articles of glassware such as glasses and tumblers and other items such as drinking cups, not shown, after washing are adapted to be placed upside down on the upper side of the drainage tray bottom 8 so that the moisture thereon and therein may drain therefrom onto the bottom 8 and from said bottom down the inclined depressions 14 and through the drainage openings 13 to be caught in the catch tray or receptacle 7 located therebeneath. The raised bosses or protuberances 15 are so arranged that the rims of the glasses, adapted to be drained, may not rest flush on the bottom 8, and so that a portion of each such rim will be supported by one or more of said bosses or protuberances to prevent the rims from being sealed against the bottom 8 and so that air may circulate inside the glasses and cups to facilitate the drainage and drying thereof.

When the drainage unit 5 is not in use the bottom catch tray 7 may be removed from beneath the drain tray 6 by sliding it to either the right or left as seen in Figure 3. Obviously, the trays 6 and '7 may be made in various sizes and shapes.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be restorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A drainage unit of the character described comprising a drain tray, legs secured to and depending from remote portions of the drain tray and including inturned lower portions forming foot members adapted to rest on a supporting surface for supporting the drain tray in an elevated position, said foot members being disposed beneath the tray portions to which the legs are secured, said legs including outwardly offset intermediate portions, said drain tray including a bottom on which items to be drained are adapted to be supported having a multiplicity of drainage openings formed therein, and a catch tray of the same size as the drain tray demountably supported on said foot portions beneath the drain tray for catching the drainage liquid from said drainage openings, said catch tray having rim portions extending into said outwardly ofiset intermediate portions of the legs.

2. A drainage unit of the character described comprising a drain tray, legs secured to and depending from remote portions of the drain tray and including inturned lower portions forming foot members adapted to rest on a supporting surface for supporting the drain tray in an elevated position, said foot members being disposed beneath the tray portions to which the legs are secured, said legs including outwardly ofiset intermediate portions, said drain tray including a bottom on which items to be drained are adapted to be supported having a multiplicity of drainage openings formed therein, and a catch tray demountably supported on said foot members beneath the drain tray for catching the drainage liquid from said drainage openings, said drain tray bottom having a plurality of upstanding bosses or protuberanees, said bosses or protuberances being located between the drainage openings and being adapted to support the rims of items being drained.

3. A drainage unit as in claim 2, said drain tray bottom having a multiplicity of dished portions surrounding the drainage openings.

4. In a drainage unit of the character described, a drain tray including a bottom, side walls and end walls, said bottom having a multiplicity of drainage openings and a dished portion surrounding each drainage opening, upstanding bosses forming a part of said tray bottom and interposed between said drainage openings, relatively wide leg members secured to the outer sides of the end walls of said drainage tray and having inwardly extending bottom portions disposed beneath said end walls and forming foot members for supporting the drainage tray in. an elevated position, said leg members having outwardly ofisetinterrnediate portions disposed between the foot members thereof and said end walls, and a catch tray of substantially the same length and width as said drainage tray demountably supported at its ends on said foot portions beneath the drainage tray bottom for catching drainage liquid gravitating from the drainage openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 486,137 Taylor Nov. 15, 1892 1,351,118 Nichols Aug. 31, 1920 1,597,820 Proctor et al Aug. 31, 1926 2,188,880 Lewis et a1. Ian. 30, 1940 2,381,608 Leyerle Aug. 7, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,513 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1918 86,499 Germany May 1, 1896 429,803 Germany June 7, 1926 

